JACOBSEN'S MINE AND "ME WORLEY'S VIEWS."

To the Editor of The Ctlonist.

Sib, — In your Ibsuc of this morning you publish a letter from Mr Jacobsen, and under it, what you call "Mr Woriey's Views."

Who is Mr Worley, and what have his " views " to do with the private doings of a private few ? This Mr Worley wishes, he sayß, to " warn the public." What public," and where do the " public " come in, and who asked him to " warn the public," and what are they to be " warned " against, and against whom are they " warned." >

A German scientist, in a remote Antipodean mountain village called Takaka, Nelson, New Zealand, is occupying himself in that which is engaging the attention of the scientists of Europe at the present time. If he, Mr Jacobsen, succeeds, so much the better for the Colony. If he does not succeed, then those few private friends who have privately helped him in his trial, will, uncomplainingly and cheerfully, lose the mite subscribed to a laudable objsct ' and he himself will have lost his time and labor. \ What has any Mr Worley to do in the private affairs of these ladies and gentlemen, or of " warning the public " through your newspaper? Yours &c, F. Bcxton, C.E. Nelson, August 22, 1898. f A passage in the letter as received by us has been struck out. — Ed. Col.]

To the Editor of The Colonist . Sik.— As hon. secretary to Jacobsen'g Syndicate I cannot allow aspersions on his honor or honesty to pass unchallenged. When Mr Worley says, "I assert it is absolutely impossible," &c, he proves himself to be no scientist, and when he "warns" the public against being "misled by any apparent developments " he goes very near to contravening the law of libel, if he doe 3 not absolutely bring himself within its clutches. In England such a " warning " would be regarded as a vexatious and malicious libel. What have the public or Mr Worley got to do with Jacobsen's mine? Absolutely nothing. The specula -

tors who subscribed their one pound two years ago have either transferred their interest in it to some one else, or dropped out of it entirely through having failed to nay the eleven shillings and sixpence asked for from everj subscriber to enable the poor old man to live whilst he was toiling day and night to bring his discovery to perfection. The whole thing was an uttcu and entire failure from want of means to carry it out. Two hundred pounds was the sum originally asked for, and only £80 was subscribed in the whole Nelson district. A few faithful adherents rallied round him when they found he was on the point of abandoning the labour of years in despair because he lacked the necessary appliances to bring his discovery to perfection. Crucibles, chemicals, «nel, food were subscribed for, and the result that "yellow Rold" has been made, is cheering, not only to the patient inventor, but to those who bad faith in him. Mr Jacobsen has always contended that the ore on his claim was nold in the process of formation, and that he had found the means, by ohemioals and added heat, of turning it into gold. Hl3 metal, he asserted, stood all the tests of gold but colour ; this addition he has now discovered. Hence his telegram, " I have made plates into yellow gold." _ When the Bank of New Zealand buys this metal ai gold, then the Nelson publio will wake up to find that one of the cleverest men of the age has lived amongst them and they had not the brains to reoognize him! As Mr Jaoobsen will accept no new subscriber, except one who would give two thousand pounds for one of the shares reserved for himself, which he would " sacrifioe," to use his own expression, for the sake of buying machinery for the quicker development ol his work. Mr Worley's advice to the " public" that "extreme caution is needed," is a gratuitous impertinence, and illustrates once more the proverb " Fools rush in where angels fear to tread." Yours, &0., ' E. J. Buxton, Hon. Secretary, The Wood.

August 22nd, 1898,

[Our correspondent has clearly misunderstood Mr Worley's meaning. That gentleman cast no aspersions on the honor and honesty of Mr Jacobsen, or of any one else, indeed. It is a well-known fact that Mr Worley has devoted a good deal of time and attention to assaying the ore which Mr Jacobsen obtained some time ago. Mr Skey, the Government Analyst, also made tests, as did some other gentlemen, and all these assayers agreed, and their views did not support Mr Jacobsen's claims. It has never been suggested that Mr Jacobsen was not perfeotly honest in his assertions, but until he proves his ability to extraot gold from his ore and metsl, and can exohange it for coin of the realm, his claims may fairly be doubted without the slightest thought of casting aspersions. '? Apparently Mr Worley wrote after reading Mr Jacobsen's telegram to the effect that he made the plates of metal into yellow gold, and clearly he was actuated by a desire to provent anyone being misled. If Mr Jacobsen has produced plates of pure gold their acceptance by the Banks will set the matter at rest, but until that test has been met, a friendly and disinterested warning to the public is surely not out of place, for, without any improper motives, people might be induced to expend money upon the strength of reports, and ultimately find their expenditure useless. We do not suppose there i 3 a single soul but would rejoioe to find Mr Jaoobsen's venture a complete success, but 3hould he prove mistaken he would not be the first honest man to encounter disappointment. The warning could in no way harm Mr. Jacobsen, or those who are associated with him, for if his claims are well founded he will, according to his letter, convert his metal into sovereigns in less than three weeks.— Ed. Col.]